There have been a few articles lately about how Facebook is sucking the productivity out of workers, and whether or not companies should ban the site or create policies to address this. I'm in the "companies should create policies camp," not just to address "Facebook" but that address appropriate internet use at work in general -- what is ok to post, if it gets in the way of productivity, you'll be flagged, etc.

I just don't think this is a new issue -- ever since the internet became accessible at work, people have been "wasting time" on it. Whether they are reading news, posting on forums, playing a game or just surfing. Managers have to expect that this generation is pretty used to multitasking with multiple browsers open. If it begins to affect their performance at work, that's one thing. But as this generation enters the workforce, banning Facebook or forbidding surfing just feels draconian to me. Finding ways to leverage young people's surfing and online socializing skills to benefit your company seems like a more worthwhile effort than sending out the "Facebook has been banned" memo.

Posted by anastasia